Automatic locking slider for slide fastener

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener, wherein: in the automatic locking slider, an auxiliary support groove  2   b  is further formed adjacent to a support groove  2   a  on a bottom side of a locking lever accommodation groove  2  on which a locking lever  3  is mounted, and an auxiliary support protrusion  3   f  is further formed on the inner side of a support protrusion  3   a  formed at the rear part of the locking lever  3 ; a top surface  3   d  is formed on an upper end of the support protrusion  3   a  such that a downwardly-curved part  5   a  formed at the back of a cover  5  contacts a top surface of the support protrusion of the locking lever, whereby the locking lever can be stably supported in the support groove of the accommodation groove.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener, and in particular to an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener which has features in that a locking lever accommodation part is formed at a central portion of a guide pillar which guide pillar upwardly protrudes from a central portion of an input port of a fastener engaging groove formed at a slider, and a locking protrusion is formed at a front end of the locking lever accommodation part, and a locking lever equipped with a support protrusion is formed at the opposite side, and a fixing cover is covered on the upper surface of the locking lever accommodation part, and a spring is disposed between the cover and the locking lever, by means of which elements the spring supplies pressure to the locking lever, so the locking protrusion is inputted into the fasteners for thereby locking the slider. The locking protrusion can be forced to separate from between the fasteners in such a way to hook a pulling tap on the upper groove of the locking protrusion and to pull forth the same for thereby unlocking the slider.

In addition, the present invention has features in that the locking lever, the locking lever accommodation groove, the fixing cover and the spring structure are improved, by means of which the slider can be more easily manufactured, and the locking lever can be supported stably in place, and the locking operations can be precisely performed, which results in less errors in operations.

BACKGROUND ART

The conventional automatic locking slider fastener has features in that a locking lever is installed by forming a locking lever accommodation part at a guide pillar installed at a central portion of a fastener engaging groove of a slider, and an upper surface of the accommodation part equipped with the locking lever is covered by a cover, and a spring is disposed between the cover and the locking lever. In this state, when a spring pressure is applied to the top of the locking lever, the locking lever moves downward, and the locking protrusion advances into between the fasteners, so the slider is locked. The slider can be unlocked in such a way that the pulling tap is pulled forth, and the locking protrusion is lifted up forcibly, and then the locking protrusion escapes from between the fasteners.

In the above mentioned conventional art construction, the locking lever does not have a stable operation because the locking lever accommodation groove in which to accommodate the locking lever and the support protrusion and the support groove of the locking lever do not fit precisely, and the construction of the locking lever installed on the inner surface of the slider looks complicated, which results in increased cost for molding. Besides the above problems, the support part of the locking lever is loosely engaged. When the slider is forced to move, the locking lever may rattle or may be distorted, which consequently leads to bad locking operations, so errors in operations increase accordingly.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener which improves the problems encountered in the conventional art in such a way to improve a locking lever disposed at a slider and a construction configured to support the locking lever.

To achieve the above objects, there is provided an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener which is constituted in such a way that an auxiliary support groove 2 b is formed, in parallel to a support groove 2 a, at the bottom of a locking lever accommodation groove 2 in which to accommodate a locking lever. An auxiliary support protrusion 3 f is formed at an inner side of a support protrusion 3 a formed at a rear end of the locking lever 3. An upper end surface 3 d is formed at the top of the support protrusion 3 a, so a downwardly bent piece 5 a formed at a rear end of the cover comes into contact with the upper end surface 3 d, so the locking lever can be stably supported in the support groove of the lever accommodation groove. At the inner side of the upper end surface 3 d of the support protrusion are parallel formed a plate spring contact part 3 e, which is formed in a protrusion shape, and a coil spring contact part 3 g which is formed in a concave groove shape. When a plate spring is disposed on the inner surface of the cover, the lower end of the plate spring comes into contact with the plate spring contact part 3 e. When a coil spring is disposed on the inner surface of the cover, the lower end of the coil spring comes into contact with the coil spring contact part, by means of which the elastic force of the locking lever can be transferred to the locking protrusion. An expansion part is formed at both sides of the opening part of the locking lever accommodation groove 2, and the cover is disposed between the support walls 2 d and 2 e formed at both sides of the expansion part, and the top of the support wall is inwardly bent, so the bent parts 2 d′ and 2 e′ come into close contact with the upper surface of the cover, for thereby fixing the cover. With this, the spring can work smoothly, and less errors in operations, and the assembling performance can be enhanced, and the productivity is also enhanced.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

According to the present invention, besides the support groove 2 a, the auxiliary support groove 2 b is further formed at the bottom of the locking lever accommodation groove 2, and besides the support protrusion 3 a, the auxiliary support protrusion 3 f is further formed at the locking lever 3. With this, when the locking lever is inserted into the locking lever accommodation groove, the support protrusion 3 a of the locking lever is inserted into the support groove 2 a, and the auxiliary support protrusion 3 f is inserted into the auxiliary support groove 2 b. When the locking lever 3 is inserted into the locking lever accommodation groove, the insertion can be performed without any movements in all directions, so the front end of the locking lever can ascend and descend stable along the support groove 2 a. In addition, at the top of the support protrusion 3 a of the locking lever is formed the upper end surface 3 d whose outer side is higher and whose inner side is lower. The lower end 5 a′ of the downwardly bent piece 5 a extending in the direction of the accommodation groove from one side of the cover 5 comes into contact, so with this it is possible to prevent the support protrusion from being lifted up in the support groove when the front end of the locking lever ascends. Therefore, the support protrusion 3 a of the locking lever can be stably supported in the support groove 2 a, so the upward and downward movements can be stable in place without using an additional support shaft. The plate spring 5 b is formed at the bottom of the cover 5, so when it comes into contact with the top of the plate spring contact part 3 e of the upper surface of the locking lever, the pressurization is performed so that the elastic force is transferred to the locking protrusion, whereby the front end of the locking lever can always keep the elastic force in the direction of the locking protrusion. As the locking protrusion 3 b of the front end of the locking lever is inserted into between the fasteners, the elastic force can be maintained, and then the slider can be locked.

When the coil spring 6 is disposed at the bottom of the cover 5, the coil spring is disposed between the coil spring contact part 3 g of the top of the locking lever 3 and the cover, so the elastic force is kept in the direction of the locking protrusion, whereby the locking protrusion 3 b of the front end of the locking lever ascends and descends between the fasteners, for hereby locking the slider. When the locking protrusion of the front end of the locking lever is forcibly lifted up with the pulling tap, the plate spring 5 b or the coil spring 6 is contracted, and the locking protrusion 3 b of the front end of the locking lever escapes from between the fasteners, by means of which the unlocking operations of the slider can be obtained. When the pulling tap is not lifted up, the locking protrusion of the locking lever is inputted into between the fasteners, so the slider can be automatically locked. In the locking lever accommodation groove, the cover fixing part and the bent piece guide groove are formed in a shape of a cross section of an angle steel, so it is possible to fix the cover whose one end is bent in a shape of a cross section of an angle steel, which results in easier engagements of the cover.

When manufacturing the slider in the present invention, the opening part of the locking lever accommodation groove 2 is opened to its full, so the mould can be manufactured without any obstacle at the inner all, whereby the mould manufacture becomes easier, and the mould product can be cheap, so the manufacture does not cost a lot. The cover 5 can be made from an elastic material, and the downwardly bent piece 5 a and the plate spring 5 b can be integrated. In this case, the spring is not necessary. The coil 5 can be disposed between the cover and the coil spring contact part 3 g of the locking lever 3, which construction helps easily install the cover, and the spring device can work to its full. The spring is disposed between the inner side of the cover and the locking lever for thereby supplying elastic force to the locking lever, so smooth and precise operations can be obtained. In the present invention, errors can be significantly reduced in the middle of the operations of the slide fastener, thus manufacturing the automatic locking slider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a disassembled perspective view illustrating an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an assembled state of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views illustrating operation states of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plane view partially illustrating a slider according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a disassembled perspective view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 7.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views illustrating operations state examples.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. There is provided an automatic locking slider for a slide fastener which has features in that side walls 1 b and 1 c are formed at the heights corresponding to the height of a fastener in an upward direction from an outer surface of the bottom plate so that a Y-shaped fastener engaging groove is formed on an upper surface of a bottom plate 1 a of a slider body, and inward wings 1 b′ and 1 c′ are formed facing each other in inward directions at the tops of the side walls, and a fastener engaging groove is formed so that the fasteners of both sides can be guided by the side walls and the inward wings, and

a locking lever accommodation groove 2 is formed in such a way that a guide pillar 1 d extends in an upward direction from the center of the side of an input part of the fastener engaging groove, and its top and inner side portion are open at a central portion of the guide pillar, and a central wing 2 e whose tip is sharp protrudes at the same height as the height of an inward wing of the fastener engaging groove in the direction opposite to an advancing direction of the slider at the inner side surface of the guide pillar, and a locking hole 1 f is formed vertical in the direction of the fastener engaging groove on the upper surface of the central wing, and the locking lever 3 is inserted into the locking lever accommodation groove 2 of the guide pillar, and the locking lever support protrusion 3 a is inserted into the support groove 2 a of the locking lever accommodation groove, and a locking lever front end locking protrusion 3 b enters into the side of the fastener via a locking hole 1 f, and a connection groove 3 h is formed at an inner side of the bent part of the locking lever which is exposed from the upper side of the locking hole, and a locking protrusion is manually lifted up with a connection ring 4 a the pulling tap 4 and is pun down, and a cover 5 covers the upper side of the locking lever accommodation groove into which to receive the locking lever 3, and a spring is disposed between the cover and the locking lever, so the locking lever receives an elastic force of the spring, and the elastic force is kept in a downward direction, and when the locking protrusion of the locking lever is inputted into between the fasteners, the slider is locked, and the locking protrusion is forcibly escaped from between the fasteners by lifting up the locking protrusion with the pulling tap, so the slider can be unlocked,

the automatic locking slider for a slide fastener comprising:

-   -   a locking lever 3 which includes:         -   a beak-shaped bent part 3 c made from an elastic steel plate             with a certain thickness and forming a front end, a locking             protrusion 3 b formed at a lower side of the bent part;         -   a camel back-shaped support protrusion 3 a formed in a             locking protrusion direction opposite to where the locking             protrusion is formed;         -   an upper surface 3 d whose end is slightly lifted up at the             top of the support protrusion and whose inner side is formed             lower;         -   a plate spring contact part 3 e which protrudes in a convex             shape from an inner boundary of the upper surface;         -   a spring coil contact part 3 g which is formed in a concave             groove apart a certain interval from the plate spring             contact part; and         -   an auxiliary support protrusion 3 f which faces an auxiliary             support groove 2 b of the locking lever accommodation grove             opposite to the coil spring contact part 3 g;     -   a locking lever accommodation groove 2 which includes:         -   a support groove 2 a which is formed at a central portion of             a central wing 1 e of a slider and has an insertion groove             into which to receive in a vertical direction a locking             lever with a width corresponding to the thickness of the             locking lever, a support protrusion 3 a and an auxiliary             support protrusion 3 f being inserted into the support             groove 2 a;         -   an auxiliary support groove 2 b;         -   an expansion part 2 c which is formed in a vertical             direction at both sides of the top of the open part and             whose upper surface is flat;         -   support walls 2 d and 2 e which are formed in upward             directions from the outer most portion of the expansion             part;         -   a cover fixing part 20 which serves to hide the open part by             inserting the cover into between the support walls 2 d and 2             e;         -   a bent piece guide groove 2 g which serves to fix the cover             by closely contacting the bent parts 2 d′ and 2 e′ on the             upper surface of the cover by bending inwardly the tops of             the support walls which protrude over the upper surface of             the cover by disposing the cover 5, the bent piece guide             groove 2 g being formed toward the support groove 2 a from             the end of the cover fixing part; and         -   a spring insertion groove 2 h which is formed toward the             auxiliary support groove 2 b from the cover fixing part;     -   a cover 5 which is installed at the cover fixing part 20 and is         made from an elastic metallic plate and is laminate-coated on         the expansion part 2 c of the top of the locking lever         accommodation groove 2 and has a certain width long enough to be         disposed between the support walls 2 d and 2 e formed at both         sides of the expansion part and is formed in a shape of a cross         section of an angle steel which forms the downwardly bent piece         5 a toward the support groove 2 a from an end portion, the         downwardly bent piece being inserted into the bent piece guide         groove 2 g; and     -   a pressurization spring which is formed of a coil spring 6         provided separately from the cover and disposed between the         bottom of the cover 5 and the coil spring contact part 3 g of         the top of the locking lever 3 and a plate spring 5 b which         protrudes from the bottom of the cover to be inputted into the         locking lever accommodation groove 2 from the central portion of         the bottom of the cover, the pressurization spring being         selected from the plate springs which come into contact with the         plate spring contact part 3 e formed at the top of the locking         lever,     -   with these the locking protrusion 3 b can be manually lifted up         or down as the connection ring 4 a of the pulling tap 4 is         engaged to the connection groove 3 h of the inner side of the         beak shaped bent part 3 c of the front end of the locking lever         3. 

1. An automatic locking slider for a slide fastener which has features in that side walls 1 b and 1 c are formed at the heights corresponding to the height of a fastener in an upward direction from an outer surface of the bottom plate so that a Y-shaped fastener engaging groove is formed on an upper surface of a bottom plate 1 a of a slider body, and inward wings 1 b′ and 1 c′ are formed facing each other in inward directions at the tops of the side walls, and a fastener engaging groove is formed so that the fasteners of both sides can be guided by the side walls and the inward wings, and a locking lever accommodation groove 2 is formed in such a way that a guide pillar 1 d extends in an upward direction from the center of the side of an input part of the fastener engaging groove, and its top and inner side portion are open at a central portion of the guide pillar, and a central wing 2 e whose tip is sharp protrudes at the same height as the height of an inward wing of the fastener engaging groove in the direction opposite to an advancing direction of the slider at the inner side surface of the guide pillar, and a locking hole 1 f is formed vertical in the direction of the fastener engaging groove on the upper surface of the central wing, and the locking lever 3 is inserted into the locking lever accommodation groove 2 of the guide pillar, and the locking lever support protrusion 3 a is inserted into the support groove 2 a of the locking lever accommodation groove, and a locking lever front end locking protrusion 3 b enters into the side of the fastener via a locking hole 1 f, and a connection groove 3 h is formed at an inner side of the bent part of the locking lever which is exposed from the upper side of the locking hole, and a locking protrusion is manually lifted up with a connection ring 4 a the pulling tap 4 and is pun down, and a cover 5 covers the upper side of the locking lever accommodation groove into which to receive the locking lever 3, and a spring is disposed between the cover and the locking lever, so the locking lever receives an elastic force of the spring, and the elastic force is kept in a downward direction, and when the locking protrusion of the locking lever is inputted into between the fasteners, the slider is locked, and the locking protrusion is forcibly escaped from between the fasteners by lifting up the locking protrusion with the pulling tap, so the slider can be unlocked, comprising: a locking lever 3 which includes: a beak-shaped bent part 3 c made from an elastic steel plate with a certain thickness and forming a front end, a locking protrusion 3 b formed at a lower side of the bent part; a camel back-shaped support protrusion 3 a formed in a locking protrusion direction opposite to where the locking protrusion is formed; an upper surface 3 d whose end is slightly lifted up at the top of the support protrusion and whose inner side is formed lower; a plate spring contact part 3 e which protrudes in a convex shape from an inner boundary of the upper surface; a spring coil contact part 3 g which is formed in a concave groove apart a certain interval from the plate spring contact part; and an auxiliary support protrusion 3 f which faces an auxiliary support groove 2 b of the locking lever accommodation grove opposite to the coil spring contact part 3 g; a locking lever accommodation groove 2 which includes: a support groove 2 a which is formed at a central portion of a central wing 1 e of a slider and has an insertion groove into which to receive in a vertical direction a locking lever with a width corresponding to the thickness of the locking lever, a support protrusion 3 a and an auxiliary support protrusion 3 f being inserted into the support groove 2 a; an auxiliary support groove 2 b; an expansion part 2 c which is formed in a vertical direction at both sides of the top of the open part and whose upper surface is flat; support walls 2 d and 2 e which are formed in upward directions from the outer most portion of the expansion part; a cover fixing part 20 which serves to hide the open part by inserting the cover into between the support walls 2 d and 2 e; a bent piece guide groove 2 g which serves to fix the cover by closely contacting the bent parts 2 d′ and 2 e′ on the upper surface of the cover by bending inwardly the tops of the support walls which protrude over the upper surface of the cover by disposing the cover 5, the bent piece guide groove 2 g being formed toward the support groove 2 a from the end of the cover fixing part; and a spring insertion groove 2 h which is formed toward the auxiliary support groove 2 b from the cover fixing part; a cover 5 which is installed at the cover fixing part 20 and is made from to an elastic metallic plate and is laminate-coated on the expansion part 2 c of the top of the locking lever accommodation groove 2 and has a certain width long enough to be disposed between the support walls 2 d and 2 e formed at both sides of the expansion part and is formed in a shape of a cross section of an angle steel which forms the downwardly bent piece 5 a toward the support is groove 2 a from an end portion, the downwardly bent piece being inserted into the bent piece guide groove 2 g; and a pressurization spring which is formed of a coil spring 6 provided separately from the cover and disposed between the bottom of the cover 5 and the coil spring contact part 3 g of the top of the locking lever 3 and a plate spring 5 b which protrudes from the bottom of the cover to be inputted into the locking lever accommodation groove 2 from the central portion of the bottom of the cover, the pressurization spring being selected from the plate springs which come into contact with the plate spring contact part 3 e formed at the top of the locking lever, with these the locking protrusion 3 b can be manually lifted up or down as the connection ring 4 a of the pulling tap 4 is engaged to the connection groove 3 h of the inner side of the beak shaped bent part 3 c of the front end of the locking lever
 3. 